Naruto Fanfic: Moon Demon
by devilelf
Summary: This story revolves around Itachi Uchiha during his cover in Akatsuki. Everything started when Itachi and Kisame was assigned to a mission in a small village, which will bring him to an unexpected encounter with a woman of enigma. Yes there will be romance, but romance is not the main theme of this fiction. It's a journey of self discovery and the budding of feelings. Creates AU
1. Introduction

**Naruto Fanfic: Moon Demon (Introduction)**

 **Quick Introduction**

This fanfic will create an alternate universe different from the Naruto world we knew later on.

The story will focus around Uchiha Itachi during his time in akatsuki and his unexpected meeting with a woman of enigma.

Yes, there will be an OC.

No, this is not a lovey dovey fluffy romance kind of story, but i do intend in creating some romance later on.

I'll try my best to keep the Naruto characters on context while showing their other side as how i perceived it.

I prefer not to spoil anything about what i have in mind, i want people to enjoy it and find surprises in what i have in mind

But yes, i suppose it'll be a bit dark, but i'll try to make it sweet too, a bit at a time :)

Anddd, i do love comedy so i'll insert funny moments as well

I hope you guys will like this OC which i'll introduce later, i'm giving her character lots of thoughts :)

 **Characters:**

 **Uchiha Itachi:** Rogue Ninja from Konoha, a member of Akatsuki. Man who massacred his whole clan and enlisted in Bingo Book as S-Rate criminal. The fact that his action is based on orders from Konoha higher up is unknown to anyone beside the Third hokage and his three advisor.

 **Pain:** The leader of Akatsuki, the person who manages Akatsuki's activity and action.

 **Kisame:** Itachi's partner in Akatsuki. One of the 7 shinobi swordsman. A person who's wondering about himself, who killed his friend's in a mission as a part of an order. Respects Itachi.


	2. Chapter 1: The Mission

**(Chapter 1 - The Mission)**

Note: This event takes places before the event where Itachi comes back to Konoha to retrieve Kyuubi

—

Akatsuki hideout.

It was early morning. Itachi and Kisame were summoned by Pain, the leader of Akatsuki. Apparently, there was a new mission request coming in. Being the only pair that hadn't been away for a mission, Pain decided that Itachi and Kisame would be the ones to take care of this mission.

"So what is it this time?" Kisame asked.

Pain turned his back to face the pair and answered,  
"The request came from a daimyo of the Country of Water. Apparently, there was a strange incident."

He paused for a while, then continued. "There is this village, on the outskirt of the country. It's a small, rural village in the middle of the mountain. However lately, the daimyo has decided to 'renovate' a part of the village and made it into his personal recreation area. However, the people he sent there to do the job had never contacted back and was deemed missing. Among them there were shinobis who were assigned to guard the workers, good ones at that."

Pain closed his mouth, observing the expression of the pair. There was no visible change on Itachi's expression. Kisame, on the other hand, looked dissatisfied.

"And, what? So we just need to check it out?"

"The daimyo wasn't really specific about it. He just wants to get things 'done'. By done, he meant that we have to resolve the problem by whatever means, so he can continue on his construction without having anymore loss. Apparently the first batch of workers weren't the only group he sent. He must have lost a lot of workers and shinobi, so he can't afford to lose more. That's why this request came," Pain answered, looking straight into Kisame's fish-like eyes.

Kisame sighed, "And i were to go back to that country for a mission like this? Kirigakure's Anbu are not nice towards their rogue ninja, you know?"

"Then just finish the mission fast and get away with your life," Pain answered coldly.

"Fine, we'll do it. You okay with it, Itachi-san?"

Keeping his eye on Pain, Itachi nodded in silence.

—–

 **Author's Note:**

This chapter is short right? Yes, i know.. but don't worry it'll be longer next time :3


	3. Chapter 2: Village of the Morning Dew

**(Chapter 2 - Village of the Morning Dew)**

—-

Accepted the new mission, Itachi and Kisame took off almost immediately. The small, rural village, which was also known as the "Village of the Morning Dew" was just an ordinary autonomous village occupied by non-shinobi civilians. Despite being under the wings of the Country of Water, the village was left alone, until lately the Daimyo discovered that the all-natural feelings, the beauty, and the fresh air of the village was what he had been searching for. He decided to built a villa on the outskirt of the village, closer to the mountain peak, where the most beautiful scenery would be available for the eyes to see. That was why there shouldn't be any problem. At least that was what the Daimyo had thought.

Annoyed by the long silence, Kisame asked his partner while they continued to climb the path to the village.

"Itachi-san, what do you think about the incident?"

"Well.. Who knows." Itachi answered, while keeping his eyes on the path in front of him.

"It's too early to deduce anything. Just keep your eyes open," he continued.

Kisame grinned.

"You're as wary as usual. Well, i personally hoped it's just a hungry wild beast or something. Wouldn't want to stay in this country for long. Though they say this village is a peaceful one, far from the intervention of the country or its shinobi, still i don't wanna lose my head."

To his partner's word, Itachi said nothing.

"Ah, there it is, Morning Dew Village," said Kisame, putting on his cloaked hat as soon as he gained sight of the village.

—-

The village was, simply said, beautiful. Though everything inside looked very simple, or even old fashioned, everything was in order. People were smiling and laughing, chatting with each other. From time to time, people would pass carrying bow and arrow, with dead wild animals hanging on their back. Some villagers were tending to their garden and farms, picking ripe fruit from the branches of the plants.

Itachi looked around, and he felt a word sneaking up to his mind.

Peace.

If he could, he would like to savor this feeling.

But the moment the word crept to his heart, the memory of what he did to his clan surfaced. His brother's terrified face, the body of his brethren lying on the ground.. The tranquility disperse, and, Itachi began to be swept away by his thought.

Then, oranges rolled beside his feet.

Yes, oranges.

A dozen of oranges rolled down from the upper part of the sloped path in front of him. Some of them touched Itachi's feet while continuing to roll down all the way behind him.

Distracted by the unexpected touch, Itachi looked up the slope, tracking the source of this distraction.

A dark haired little girl was running, chasing the rolling oranges while carrying lots of fruits on her sash which was hanging frantically on her shoulder.

Spotting the two cloaked pair on her way, she shouted.

"AAAAAAAAH SHOO SHOO UNCLES OVER THERE, GET OUT OF THE WAAAAY"

The girl ran in full power down the slope, passing by Itachi's right side, almost bumping unto him. Itachi avoided her charge by slightly sliding to his left, where Kisame wa standing.

Above the slope, a mother and a little girl was running towards the slope and stopped right above it, shouting.

"Mitchan! Just let it go, I'll give you other later!"

The running girl shouted back with all her power while keeping her focus on chasing the fruits.

"GRANPA SAID, IT'S NOT GOOD TO WASTE FOOOOODS—-GAAAHHH!"

And while she said so, she fell down the next slope, creating some awfully loud noises of shock and surprises below.

And so the girl's figure disappeared on the path behind them. The woman who was shouting and the little girl that followed her ran panicly down the slope while shouting what apparently was the falling girl's name.

"It's peaceful, alright," said Kisame, grinning at the event that happened before them.

Itachi who was dragged out of his sad thought by this surprising event, can't help but try to hide his smile behind the cloaked hat.

Itachi's mind wandered back to the mission that they were assigned with.

He had to admit, he was glad they took on this mission. Being an Akatsuki member, where Rogue Ninja and criminals of highest rate gather, it was rare for them to get a pleasant, good-willed mission. Well, he knew that this one wasn't completely out of good will either. However.. It was a wonderful place, away from war and conflicts, where people could smile and lived their life fully.

He was glad that he could be here to protect the peace, instead of destroying it.

Whatever the cause of that incident was, he didn't want it to spread terror to that village, and them being there could stop the incident before it finally expanded and reached the village.

With a determined look in his eyes, Itachi looked up the path.

The pair then continued climbing, up to the mountain where the incident took place.

—

 **Author's note:**  
Also read on tumblr and/or wattpad for version with illustration and faster update

Illustration by  
Comission type: Comic-Rough Draft

tagged/moondemon


	4. Chapter 3: The Hut on the Mountain Peak

**(Chapter 3 - The Hut on the Mountain Peak)**

—

Caution never causes harm.

In order to obtain more information about the mysterious incident, Itachi and Kisame asked around in the village, posing as ordinary travelers from the Country of Water's capital. Luckily the existence of Akatsuki was barely known among the villager, and as they were told, no shinobi or other military intervention had been spotted so far in the village.

"Daimyo's recreation villa? Sure we have heard. They are intending to built the villa up there right? Of course no one would mind. Well it seems strange at first having so many outsiders coming inside the village, but they never bother with us and just directly head to the mountain peak and stay there. No, they never stays long or come down."

"Their food and provision? I dunno, they just stay there and never comes down. Maybe they hunt their own food or something? The resources are plenty here after all. Now that i think of it, how's the progress of the villa's building going?"

"Predator? Huh, i don't think so. As far as we knew no dangerous animal that would kill human exist here. Well, not if they're left alone. But at least if there's an attack, there would be reported injury right? Since i'm the only doctor here. But i don't know, maybe they have their own doctor or medical ninja so they don't need to come down here."

"Missing person? Who? Nah, never heard of it. It's always peaceful here, none of us ever experienced something like that."

"Anyone who might know more about the villa's construction? Hmmm, I guess old man Bocchon will have known, he lives on the forest near the mountain peak after all."

Kisame almost laughed at the silly name.

"Old man Bocchon?" Ask Itachi, confirming.

"Yes, an old hunter he is. He lives with his so-said-grand-daughter on the small hut near the mountain peak. Well, a lot of us doubted that though, the little girl is too cute to be his after all," the merchant laughed a bit, then continued,

"He is highly spirited even for his old age. Even though he doesn't hunt anymore, he always climbs up and down the mountain to buy some stuffs here. But well, we heard from his granddaughter that he is sick now so she is doing her errand alone while taking care of him. No surprise since he's a heavy drinker and all. But anyway, i'm sure he'd be the right person to ask about the construction since he's there all day long."

Itachi nodded at the merchant and thanked him for the information. When he and Kisame turned around to leave, the merchant called them back.

"Hey wait!" the merchant said, "You guys are going there right? If so, please do me a favor and deliver this to him from me."

The merchant ran towards Itachi and shoved a bag full of rice and herbs to him. The merchant smiled and continued.

"We and other villagers feel bad since we couldn't help the girl take care of the old man or even give her these stuffs ourselves. You know, since she won't be able to carry those heavy stuffs back up there. The path is already dangerous and steep even without carrying those stuffs. Even, it's amazing that they managed to went back and forth to that place, but well, i guess it's just the old hunter's passed down skills or such."

The merchant grinned cheerfully, "But you two are shinobi, right? My son is learning to be shinobi in Kirigakure, so i just knew it. Don't worry, i'll pay for your service later!"

Kisame was about to protest when Itachi took the package and nodded, leaving Kisame speechless.

"Sometimes i just don't get you," said Kisame to his partner.

—-

 **Author's Note:  
** I said that this fanfic will center around Uchiha Itachi, but why is kisame doing all the talking and Itachi barely speaks at all, and what's with all the info?

Well reason is, because i think as a member of Akatsuki, Itachi tried to hide himself a lot, so he will do his best to hide himself a lot, especially in front of fellow members. And Kisame is the more talkative between those two after all.

The lots of info is because, i'd like to make the plot stronger and so the mission will not be just a half assed plot device :3 It has to have relevance to everything and have impact to the characters and shows their characters more blablabla gosh i'm rambling

Anyway, i'm trying my best to write this serious fanfic, so enjoy :3


	5. Chapter 4: Girl under the Crescent Moon

After leaving the merchant's place, Itachi and Kisame asked around some more to gather additional information about the incident, Old Man Bocchon, and his granddaughter before taking off to the mountain.

During the whole questioning that day, Itachi was being especially careful. He wanted to avoid causing any panic among the villagers. Even though he suceeded in doing so, the amount of information they could obtain was very lacking. That's why they couldn't help but going directly to the mountain peak in order to meet this "Old Man Bocchon" they had been told about while also investigating the area.

The truth is, Itachi wanted to avoid going up the mountain without any information. However strong he was, he was always the cautious type. Waltzing into what could be the enemy's territory without sufficient information wasn't an action he would prefer to take. Moreover, they had no clear grasp yet about what their target could be. The current lack of knowledge bothered him, forming a frown on his forehead. Kisame on the other hand, was as relaxed as ever.

Itachi took a careful look onto his surroundings. Sure the path was rough, especially for normal civilians. He could see why the merchant and the villagers refused to visit the old man's hut by themselves. This also deepened his suspicion upon this old man. Especially since he had gotten an extra bit of information which signified that the old man fell sick near the time the construction started. But what about the old man's granddaughter that everyone had been talking about? A 12-14 years old, lovable civilian old girl having anything to do about the missing groups of strong worker and shinobis didn't seem to be likely, though she was nimble enough to climb the rough path by herself.

As he was thinking, Itachi and Kisame reached their destination. An open plain in the middle of the forest. Underneath the mountain's cliff that surrounded the plain, a small house surrounded by a stone wall of about 2 meters tall stood. Observing the surrounding of the houses and the equipments laying on the walls side, it was obvious that the house was a hunter's hut. Itachi took a deep breath, trying to find any trace of blood that would linger after a massacre.

There was none. Not even a scent of animal's blood. It seemed like it had been long since the old man last hunted his own food.

He felt a bit relieved. The idea of having to kill an old man in front of his granddaughter nauseated him. It reminded him to his last mission as Konoha Shinobi, the Uchiha Massacre.

However they still needed to be cautious. Together, the pair walked towards the dark hut. It was already late at night, and there was no lighting around. However, the path was bright enough from the light of the moon, even though it wasn't a full moon night.

They stopped in front of the hut's door.

"Uncles over there, what are you doing here this late at night?"

A young girl's voice asked from behind them.

Itachi and Kisame didn't felt any presence earlier. Thrown off by the sudden question, the two quickly turned back and backed off. A strong wind suddenly blew, throwing Itachi and Kisame's cloaked hat off their head.

It was the girl they saw earlier in the village, the 'orange-chaser'.

She was sitting above the hut's stone wall behind them, dressed in all white. She swung her legs playfully as she took a more careful look at the pair's expression.

Upon seeing the two's face, the girl put on a surprised face as she brought her hand to her mouth and laughed cheerfully.

"Oh, i'm sorry, it's a brother and an uncle then~"

The sight of the girl's cheerful innocent laugh would normally put people off guard as the tension relaxed. But Itachi felt that something wasn't right.

"Which one is which, huh?" Kisame replied back, while relaxing his posture.

"Kisame!" Itachi called to him, warned him not to let down his guard yet. He activated his Sharingan.

The girl smiled. With her back against the crescent moon's light, the smile seemed to be somewhat wicked.

 **Author's Note:**

IT APPEAAAARSSSSS! Joking, she's not a ghost *forgive me for throwing nonsense jokes*

for illustrated version, read on tumblr: tagged/moondemon

Illustration by

Comission type: BW art


	6. Chapter 5: Irregularity

Upon Itachi's warning, Kisame went back to defensive position. His hand grabbed his Samehada, preparing for an attack. The idea of being cautious upon the figure of a weaponless little girl seemed silly, but his partner's hunch had never been wrong before. Itachi had proved to be his lifesaver most of the time. And there was always exception about kid with extraordinary power, like the 4th Mizukage, as example.

Upon seeing their reaction and the obvious change of atmosphere between them, the girl smirked even more, almost as if she were mocking them.

"And? Your business is?" she asked again.

Not letting his emotion showing, Itachi answered, "We are here to visit Old Man Bocchon. We bring stuffs from the village's merchant," as he showed her the package he was entrusted with.

He wasn't exactly lying, however he would like to observe the girl's action a little bit more. There was still too many uncertainties to act, he thought to himself. Keeping his eyes, the sharingan onto the girl's figure, he kept analyzing. Something seemed off, he couldn't see or detect any chakra.

The girl answered, smiling while she swang her body forward and jumped from the wall with smooth motion.

"Heee, such an unusual time to get a visitor. Forget that, it's unusual to get any visitor at all."

She landed on the grass without a sound, and approached Itachi with smiling face.

"Sorry though, Granpa is asleep right now. Wow, what's that? Rice and herbs? Thank you!" she said, reaching for the package.

However, Itachi lifted the package up, out of her reach, while still keeping his posture steady and said, "We need to deliver this package directly to him, we were told to."

The girl squinted her eyes while trying to reach up to the package, and said, "You're lying, uncle merchant won't say something like that. Why are you lying?"

Itachi observed the girl's movement carefully. Her footsteps seemed unsteady and her movement seemed clumsy, like how she fell over the slope earlier that day. However, Itachi couldn't shake off his uneasiness. Something was wrong, not only the she could sneak behind them undetected, but also something else. She had no chakra.

All living being was supposed to have chakra in their body, not only human or shinobi. If all chakra were depleted, a person would lose his/her life. Then why? She was certainly alive. Through his heightened sense, Itachi still could hear her breath. That's why he needed to stall and kept a facade until he figured out more.

"We need to ask him some question," Itachi said,"It won't be long, can you wake him up for a bit?"

"Yeah, we came all the way here and all,"said Kisame, noticing what could be inside Itachi's mind.

The girl pulled back her hands, putting on a frown. "Huuuh, I see… Okay then..,"she said, pulling her hand behind her back, and walked past the two towards the hut's door with playful step.

Then suddenly, there was a slight change in her movement.

"..then you two need to die," she muttered, as she swiftly turned back and reached toward Kisame's neck with her hand.

—–

 **Author's note:**

Actually this chapter is supposed to be longer, but i figure i should cut it here to keep the updating consistent, and to piss off the readers HAHHAHAHA

JK, don't go away, you, whoever is reading this.. TvT


	7. Chapter 6: Wicked Innocence

Itachi caught onto the slight change with his sharingan. Just on time, he jumped into Kisame's front, defending him with a kunai. The girl's hand almost reached Kisame, ready to grab onto him if not for Itachi's kunai. The girl's hand stopped just before it touched the Kunai's edge. Taking advantage of the pause in her movement, Itachi and Kisame jumped back, creating some distance between the three of them. Kisame readied his Samehada, preparing for more unexpected attack.

"Ahahahha, nice movement, brother," she said while laughing innocently. But in that situation, the innocence itself made the laugh seemed more wicked.

"..But how did you figure it out? I tried my best to make you two let your guard down after all~" she pouted in childlike way, as she paced around on the grass playfully.

"Huuuh, it's all wasted, there's no way i can gain your trust anymore, isn't it?" she said while keeping her gaze at the two.

A smile appeared on the girl's face. Then, she jumped towards Itachi. One jump was all she needed to cover the distance between them. Itachi stepped back while maintaining his defense stance. He was being very cautious. Seeing her tried to grab a hold on Kisame before, he deduced that he needed to avoid any physical contact with the girl.

"Whatever she was trying to do, physical contact seemed to be necessary," Itachi thought to himself.

Keeping his calm, he tried to continue analyzing the girl. It seemed that he couldn't use his genjutsu against her. Genjutsu worked through messing someone's chakra flow in their brain. However the girl didn't have any, which signified that trying to use genjutsu would most likely be wasted effort. So, Itachi chose to resort solely on taijutsu and shuriken jutsu while trying his best not to have any physical contact with her. The girl's nimble and irregular movement gave Itachi quite a hard time, if not for his Sharingan.

Then, Kisame jumped in. With his enormous strength, he slammed his Samehada between Itachi and the girl in an attempt to smash down the girl. The girl jumped back, right on time, and created a great distance between them once again. The Samehada hit the ground with a loud thump, cracking the earth beneath them. Surprised of the sudden sound, the birds in the forest flew to the sky, chirping loudly.

"Phew, that was dangerous.,"she mumbled, while taking a closer look at Itachi and Kisame. Her sight fell on Itachi's glowing Sharingan.

"I see, is it the eye? You seems to have special pair of eyes. Is it one of those shinobi stuff?" she asked while tilting her head.

"So she's not a shinobi," Itachi thought to himself. However, knowing that didn't make the situation any clearer.

Cautious of another surprise attack, Itachi and Kisame kept their stances. The situation was more of a disadvantage for them. They were unfamiliar with the area, as opposed to her. Also, she had the agility to cover the distance faster than Itachi and Kisame.

But then the girl cheerfully shouted, "Aaaah, it's tiring, let's stop this."

The pair frowned, confused by the sudden words. However they kept their stances firm, just in case that it was her other facade.

The girl smiled at the two. She sat down abruptly on the grass beneath her. Keeping her eyes on Itachi, she said, "Hey brother, would you two just leave? Promise me that you won't say a thing about what happened here this night though."

"It's a pity, but we can't do that," Itachi replied.

"Huuuh, why?" said the girl, dissappointed. "If that is so, then I really have to try and kill you two after all," she said as she tried to stand.

Itachi has waited for that moment. An opening. Quickly, he activated his Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Amaterasu!" he shouted in his mind. Blood flowed out from his right eye.

"!"

Black fire spawned out of nowhere, burning the girl's long sleeve. The girl was caught off guard by the sudden attack. She quickly removed her kimono and threw it away. Making full use of her panic state, Itachi threw threaded kunai in several different direction. Some clashed against each other and changing direction intentionally, some passed by the girl's body. Then, layers of thread intertwined, binding the girl's body. The girl struggled against the thread's binding, didn't know how else to react, as she was confused by what had happened in those few seconds.

Angered by her state, she glared intensely towards the two. The wind started to blow harder and the land began to rumble. Within his Sharingan's sight, Itachi saw that the energy around her began to flow weirdly.

"Kisame!" He shouted. With his Samehada, Kisame was the only one who could do serious physical threat to her without touching her directly. The binding that Itachi has prepared earlier made it a perfect chance for Kisame to end the fight.

"Got it already!" replied Kisame, as he was already jumping towards her with his Samehada ready. All of sudden, the edge of his blade already reached the opening on the girl's neck. He stopped his attack though. He knew that the big opening that Itachi created was not for him to kill the girl, but to force her to surrender. They still needed to find out what happened for their mission report after all. That's why, they needed to force it inside her consciousness, the idea that they were the superior one.

The strange rumbling and the strong wind stopped. Whatever was coming, Itachi was glad that they were able to stop it on time. They couldn't have another unknown factor coming, it would create another disadvantage and make everything harder.

A drop of sweat flowed on the girl's cheek. She knew that she was at a disadvantage, and her life was completely relying on those men's mercy. She was pissed off, and angry. But she also felt a desire to live. She gritted her teeth and shouted.

"AAAAAARGH, FINE! I GET IT! I GIVE UP! YOU GUYS CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT! JUST RELEASE ME!"

"Not that fast, little runt," said Kisame to the girl ".. not after what you were trying to do. We're not foolish enough to let you go just like that."

"Tch! Fine! Tell me what is it you want! You guys came here for a reason, right?"

With annoyed look on her face, she continued in a muttering, "..and what's with the rice and herb anyway, it's only a bait after all.. And now you guys are angry when i tried to fool you?"

"Nah, that part is true actually. Answer us and you can have them all," said Kisame, smiling, as he thought to himself, "..if we don't need to kill you, that is."

The girls mouth formed a downward curve, showing her annoyance.

"And? What is it do you want to ask?"

"Tell us where old man Bocchon is, and everything you know about the missing workers," said Itachi with a commanding tone.

—–

 **Author's Note:**

Yes, she threw away her kimono. No, she's not naked. Maybe you guys should take a look at the illustration on her once more. *Runs away before the readers are angry*

Oh right, don't allow me to post illustration, she's wearing bandage around her body, inside her kimono.


	8. Chapter 7: Old Man Bocchon and The Girl

"Tell us where old man Bocchon is, and everything you know about the missing workers," said Itachi with a commanding tone.

The girl's face stiffened. Her expression became unreadable.

"Granpa is no more. I told you didn't I, he is sleeping, forever.."

"I think you forgot the forever part, kid.." Kisame replied. "Besides, you're one cruel kid, saying that like it's nothing."

"That's rude of you, i'm not a kid. Besides, it's not like we're really a family. He used me and i used him, that's how it had always been for us."

The girl paused for a while after finishing her sentences. Hearing no response from the others, she continued talking.

"10 years ago, he found me on the riverside of the forest. I had no idea who i was or why i was even here. All i knew was that my stomach was hungry, so i followed him here."

"Heh, what are you? Animal? Why would you follow strangers just like that. Besides why would a small kid wander alone in the forest? You would be like, what? Two years old? Four years old at most?"

"Didn't i told you i have no idea?" the girl pouted. "Besides, i never remember myself being that small, even when i first arrived here. That's why i told you that I'm not a kid."

The girl sighed as Kisame put on disbelieved face, and continued, "So anyway, he decided to took me in, as long as I would do things for him in return. Then he taught me some basic stuffs so i could help him hunt and do business, like how to move efficiently, and how to use this form of mine to advantage."

"Form?"

"People are less cautious around woman and child, they tend to soften up around them, especially the cute, fragile, and innocent looking ones. And I am all of them, so he often taught me things about how to take advantage of it for bargaining and stuffs. To manage my expressions, to smile, to pretend and hide my intentions, to read people, and capture people's heart, so i can get them to open up and lower their guard around me. That way people will be kinder towards us and less likely to take advantage of us, he said. Especially in bargaining, he said I'd be a big help to get people to lower their prices, give discount or bonus stuffs, and such. Basically, i was his negotiation tool, and in return, he'd give me a place to sleep and nice food to eat. That was our relationship. We are nothing like those family down the mountain, never have and would never be," the girl looked down as she finished her sentence. A glimpse of sadness and jealousy could be seen on her expression even as she tried to hide it.

"Geh, now i'm getting more confused about what kind of old man he is," Kisame let out a bitter laugh. "So then, what, you killed him? And what about the workers who went missing?"

The girl looked up. She looked onto Kisame and Itachi's expression, wondering if it would be better to lie out of it. But any other way, her life was already on their grasp and she got the feeling that lying would never work anymore. So, she sighed as she continued.

"Promise me you won't kill me if i tell you the truth? Since i'm guessing lying won't work anymore, right? That brother over there seems like the type that would be able to see if i'm lying, or so granpa taught me about.. And he have been staring intensely at me for a while now. Trying to catch any sign of lie i guess?"

"Well, can't promise you anything. But yes, you'd die if you don't speak, and yes, he'd know if you lie. Right? Itachi-san?"

Itachi didn't respond. He kept her eye on the girl, signaling her to continue talking with his head.

"Tch, right. So here it goes. One day those workers came here. At first they were just building and doing their stuff. As granpa instructed, i kept interacting with them naturally over time, so they wouldn't bear ill will to us and disturbed our daily peace, or so he said. But then one day, some of them came to us."

The girl's face darken as she continued, "They say, that we needed to pay them to continue living in the area, or else they would kick us out. Granpa figured out that it was a lie, for no such thing had been spoken of ever since the construction had started. The construction was not that near to our place anyway so we would never bothered each other. We didn't have any money, since granpa never deemed it necessary to grab a hold into such thing and he always prefered to trade for stuffs directly instead. He tried to convince them that we didn't have any. But then, we realized that it wasn't the actual thing they were after."

The girls word stopped for a while, as if she was selecting her words. As she continued, she looked unsure, and slightly disgusted. "They told granpa that they wanted to "play" with me. I didn't have the clear idea about what they meant, but from the nasty look in their eyes and granpa's expression, i noticed that it would be something bizarre."

Hearing the words, Itachi and Kisame caught onto what was going on. That kind of practice was quite common, and it wasn't strange either especially in the dark world they had known. Still, it was sickening to be heard from a girl of such tiny stature. However as the girl looked down, her expression became harder to read. After a while, she continued.

"Hey, do you guys know? Everything in this world has some sort of energy inside it. Even on the seemingly static and weightless air, or the silently growing woods, or earth, or even light.. I've always been able to read them easily, allowing me to detect things with ease. I can even manipulate them to some extend to help me. Well not into such extreme like shinobi's jutsu, but it has helped me a lot on hunting. Granpa thought that it might be some shinobi skill that i had in me, but seeing those shinobis and you guys, i could tell that it isn't. In fact, i don't even have that thing in you and other creatures that allows you to use your ninjutsu and such."

"So she knows," Itachi thought to himself. Her words reminded him of something he learned about long ago. Nature energy, which was the basic of senjutsu. However he also learned that senjutsu also requires chakra, and the absence of chakra inside her actually intrigued him. Since Itachi was always the curious type ever since he was a child, he was expecting to find an answer to his curiosity in their dialogue. That's why even though the talk seemingly started slipping out of the actual topic, he didn't let out a word of protest.

However, Kisame who didn't see any purpose in such talk, slightly moved his sword to graze on the girl's neck, trying to remind her about her situation.

"Was that a bluff? Don't forget the situation you are in, kid. Now start talking or…"

"That's why when they pulled my hand suddenly, i decided that i wouldn't just let them do whatever they wanted with me. However using force won't work, and i couldn't do offensive stuffs with my power. So far i could only use it to boost my movement but it wouldn't give me extra force. So instead, i tried to take in their energy, from where they touched me. I didn't know if i could, or if it would help at all. However, it worked, their energy flowed naturally towards me in a flash, and as i took everything they had, they died."

"Well, that scared granpa so bad, he started locking me up and ignoring me." The girl slightly smiled as she looked into Itachi's eyes. The smile was a mix of mockery and bitterness.

"With my newly learned ability, i could survive. I took in the energy from my surroundings, trying to keep myself alive, day by day. The amount of energy is infinite you know. It was always give and take, and energy always changes form while keeping its amount. I took some, and the energy i spent away always changed back to something else which i could take. However, staying alive was not enough.. Taking in energy kept me alive, but it didn't drive out my hunger or my thirst. My agony was increasing day by day, and he still wouldn't let me out or even talk or listen to me. Actually, I've always hoped that deep down he cared for me as family, like those families down there that i've been so jealous of. However seeing how he treated me, my hope was crushed, and my agony turned my sadness into anger."

Silence came. Itachi and Kisame didn't let out a word as the girl turned silent. They were familiar with the feelings, especially in the world they were in. In fact, such feeling was often the start of every conflict there were in the shinobi world. With the girl's sigh, the silence was broken.

"I didn't know how i did it, but as i let my anger took over, i could feel the energy started to swirl around me. Instinctively, i guided them and let them burst towards the door in front of me. It broke the door, the lock, and a part of the wall with it. I ran as fast as i could out of the hut, and found myself some fruits and water. As i calmed down after filling myself, i decided to come back and settle things directly with granpa, seeing how it would be hard for us to be like how we used to be. He never actually taught me that much hunting skill, so i couldn't survive as a hunter on my own, and eating fruits and herb every day seemed like an agonizing thing to do. I can't just run down to the village and asked for other villagers to take me in. Besides, i've killed people, and if that made such a heartless person like granpa became scared so bad, i don't know what others would think of me. However as i went back, he was there, below the rubles that came from the broken part of the wall, covered in blood."

Another pause. Seeing as there was no comment from the other party, the girl looked up into their eyes, trying to read their expression. Surprisingly, she didn't find fear that she was looking for. They looked as calm as ever, as if what she had just told them was a fairy tale. The girl bit her lips. Some part of her was, relieved? She asked herself what was that feeling she had. Then, she continued her story.

"So, i thought to myself countless time. How do i get out of this. What should i do to continue living, not just staying alive. That time, it occurred to me. I decided to lie about granpa's condition, saying he was sick, and i should do that while hiding about what happened before. No one will know since they never come up here. Besides, lying, hiding, and manipulating was everything that i was taught to be good at. That way, i could obtain some food as a donation from the villager. However, the other workers and the shinobis with them suddenly started looking for the guys from before. I tried to lie my way out of it, but apparently some of them shinobis had the ability to find stuffs even without looking at them directly. They noticed that granpa was lying dead inside, and that apparently, granpa buried the workers body behind our hut. So i had no choice but to shut them up. It was easy, since they had no idea about what i could do, and they let down their guard too much. Repeat, and repeat, till you guys finally come here after me. That's it," she finished her story calmly. Silence covered the air for a while.

The girl let out a loud sigh as she raised her head and looked up to the sky, "Aaaaaah, here it is, i'm so done for, and i thought i've survived long enough to continue surviving this way. You guys are gonna kill me right? Can you please do it painlessly anyway? Not that fire or this scary sword please, nah, nope."

Kisame looked behind him, staring at his partner's face, questioning.

"What to do, Itachi-san? Should we kill her, or.."

Itachi seemed to be considering their options.

—-

 **Author's note:**

I haven't proof read this +_+ i'm sort of too tired now for proofreading.. I'll correct the grammar mistakes later. I hope this story satisfy you guys anyway, i received advices on how should i write this chapter from my friend, he helped me a lot :3

So, cya next chapter!


	9. Chapter 8: Tell Me What Am I

Where are the bodies?" Itachi asked to the girl.

"Below here. I manipulated the ground a bit and managed to bury them below us without destroying the hut, for various reason. Granpa is still inside though, i manipulated the air a bit so the smell wouldn't leak out. But i don't recommend coming in though, even i wouldn't," the girl answered with a calm heartless voice, as if she wasn't bothered by it at all. It was unnerving, coming from a supposedly innocent girl.

Itachi and Kisame glanced at each other.

"Our order was to stop any disturbance to the construction and additionally, to uncover the mystery for our report's sake," said Itachi to both Kisame and the girl as he moved his glance towards the girl.

As Kisame tried to figure out the meaning behind his partner's word, Itachi continued.

"You know what we are capable of, and hearing what I've said earlier, you should have known your own options as well."

Itachi walked towards the girl. His Sharingan swirled and changed pattern.

"I can give you a painless death, if that is what you want."

Kisame, for once, couldn't understand his partner's action. It's as if he was hinting and giving her some other option beside death, when they could have just finished her by then. However, he had always believed and respected his partner's decision as well. Kisame had never intended to change that.

Itachi had to admit that he was taking pity on the girl. She reminded him of his brother, Sasuke. They would have been of the same age, or at least the girl looked as if she was the same age as Sasuke. His brother was also brimming with innocence. He was like a clean slate which can be affected by anything. The girl in front of him, he thought, was an example of how scary an innocence could be. For once, he wondered if what he did would lead Sasuke to the wrong direction instead. As he mentally denied what he had just thought of, he cut the thread that had been tying the girl up. The girl fell with a thump. She kept looking down, not saying a word.

"So..?" Itachi demanded.

"..Hey.. can I ask you guys a question? Especially to you, red-eyed brother.."

Itachi slightly tilted his head, wondering what the question would be.

The girl stood up slowly and tapped the dust off her hakama. Kisame kept his samehada near the girl's neck, just in case she decided to start attacking again.

"… At the moment when i killed those evil guy, granpa was terrified. He looked at me as if i wasn't human. He called me monster, he locked me up and tried to starve me out."

As she paused for a while, the girl looked up, glancing at the face of the two man in front of him.

"Those other people as well.. As I buried them, they looked at me in terror, calling me demon, calling me monster.."

"I know i was different, i know i have power. But don't shinobi have power too? And people are different from each other anyway.. Was it because i have a different kind of power than you guys? But I don't think that's why, i don't even think they noticed that. So why am I a monster? Why am I a demon? Why are they human? Why are they Shinobi? Why am I.. not human?"

Silence filled the air as she finished her questions. The girls shifted her eyes away from the two man in front of him as she looked up towards the crescent moon. A sighed escaped her lips, and she closed her eyes for a while. As she slowly opening her eyes, she looked straight towards Itachi's glowing red eyes. She walked slowly towards him, without Kisame's blade ever leaving her neck. The girl began questioning again.

"Hey… why are you guys not scared of me? Even as I told you what I've done, how could you guys be so calm? Why are you guys different from the others? Can it be, you guys know what i am supposed to be?"

The girl stopped just right in front of Itachi. Itachi didn't move a muscle, wondering about what her intentions were, for he sensed no hostility. The girl looked up, straight towards Itachi's eyes. Her expression cold and unreadable.

"Especially you, brother. As I told you about me, you looked as if you already knew that i was different. I didn't saw any sign of surprise, and you looked more like reassured if anything. Why was it? Was it because of your special eyes? What did you see with those eyes? And then, what else can you see with it..? What do I look like to you?"

"Can you tell me, what am I?"

As she asked, Itachi could see his face reflected on the girl's eyes. Her expression was still cold and unreadable. Was that the expression of curiosity, despair, sadness, or just pure, cruel innocence? Itachi asked himself.

As he saw his own reflection on her eyes, Itachi felt like he was being asked the same question about him. He was reminded of the days when he were a double spy of both his clan and Konoha. He didn't know which spy he was, until the end of things. Being in Akatsuki didn't change his situation. As he was supposed to be spying for Konoha from inside, he actually helped the group with their deed. He was supposed to prevent any more chaos, but as he played his role, he did the opposite. Sometimes, Itachi wondered, what he really was. As he was wondering, Itachi came to realize, that the girl in front of him was the same as he was. They were both struggling with questions regarding their identity, their role. They both lived a life of lie. Well, it wasn't exactly the same, for the source of the questions was different fundamentally. His came from his choice, and hers from her innocence. However, Itachi could feel a connection running between them. The indescribable feeling created a chaos inside of him, throwing him off guard.

As he struggled alone in his own thought, the girl kept looking closely at Itachi's conflicted eyes. Noticing the change in his emotion from his eye's movement, the girl smiled a bit, for she found the change in him unexpected, and amusing.

Kisame's voice broke the short silence as he spoke with a slight smirk on his face.

"Nah, you don't have to worry about it that much, kid. People usually don't like people they couldn't understand, that's what I learned. I, for once, was also called a beast."

The girl squinted her eyes and pouted as she spoke back to Kisame, "Well, doh, you DO look like a fish, shark-chan! While I looked just like a normal little girl!"

"Shark-chan!?" Kisame glared at her in disbelieve.

"That's what you get for keep calling me a kid!" replied the girl as she put out her tongue, mocking kisame.

"Ugh, I can't take this anymore, isn't this enough time? Itachi-san? What are we waiting for?" said Kisame, desperately.

"Oh right, I still have to choose!" the girl responded with a seemingly fake sign of surprise. She brought her finger to her lips, and snapped her fingers to create a sound. "Fine then, I've decided!" the girl shouted cheerfully, taking the two by surprise.

She jumped back a little on the created opening, getting away from Kisame's samehada. She took a light step and turned around, as if she was dancing. As she turned back to face the two man, she put her hands up and shouted.

"I've decided that I should follow you two!"

Silence resonated in the air.

"HUUUUUUUH?" Kisame looked confused as he reflexively shouted in surprise as a respond to her earlier statement.

"You guys go all the way around the world right? They say shinobis are! Besides, me leaving this place would mean there would be no more problem here, so your problems are solved! Don't worry, I won't bother you guys on your mission! Instead i'll help you guys, be it as decoy, or as backup, anything you guys can think of!"

"…I'm thinking of killing you right here and now.." Kisame said grudgingly.

The girl ignored Kisame's word and kept speaking cheerfully, "I can finally stop pretending, and since you guys already know what and how i really am, i don't even need to hide anything at all! Now that seems interesting!"

"…Listen kid, you think you'll be helping, but instead you would be a big problem.. We are not regular ninja you know.. We are Akatsuki, criminals! Wait, why am I even reasoning right now? Itachi-san, what are we waiting for, really?"

The girl looked even more excited than before, as she replied, "Akatsuki? Now that's a nice name, it even sound similiar to mine, the one that granpa gave me. Is this what they call fate?"

"This girl is insane!" Kisame shouted to his partner in disbelieve. His partner's face, was also, surprisingly, showing off slight signs of surprise. That was clearly not the answer that he was expecting.

Ignoring the two guys, the girl continued, "..And i've already done bad things, so what am I to say anything about you guys. Besides you guys have been the most understanding person i met, I feel like you two are not bad guys at all! In fact, I find you guys amusing, and I think I've come to like you guys!"

"…Hey, listen, you, kid.." Kisame protested, just to be ignored, again.

"Besides, going with you guys might help me find out who and what am I! Aren't you curious too? Not you, simple minded shark-chan," she added.

Kisame was about to protest again when suddenly he saw Itachi twitched. To her response, Itachi reflexively created a slight movement of surprise and hesitation. He has been found out, the girl was able to read him, Itachi thought to himself.

Still putting on disbelieved face, Kisame spoke to his partner.

"Don't tell me, you intended to bring her to Akatsuki?"

Silence floated in the air. Itachi didn't answer. He was still conflicted. His meeting with the girl stirred up too many things inside him. The innocence, the struggle, it was as if he was forced to stand in front of a mirror and question himself again and again.

"True, i think leader would be intrigued about this, and this would also make the explaining easier to be done. Do you think this is the best answer, Itachi-san?"

"…Do as you like.." Itachi turned around and walked back towards the path where they came from. As Itachi left the field, Kisame sighed and followed behind him without a word.

"Right, I haven't even introduced myself!" the girl shouted to the pair, who was already turning away and leaving the place. "My name's Mitsuki! Granpa said it's a wordplay water and moon! Nice to get to know you guys! Oh, and let me fetch up some proper clothes first! I'll catch up to ya soon!"

As the girl rushed behind the hut, Kisame spoke to his partner.

"My, that was totally uncalled for. I know you've always hated unnecessary fight, but wasn't that too soft, even for you? You don't even seem like your usual self."

"Not my usual self, huh?" Itachi asked himself. His head felt like it was spinning around with so many thoughts swirling inside him. He didn't know if his decision was right or wrong, or if it was the best, or the worse. Was his decision really too soft? He didn't know. It had been long since he last dwelt in his past memories, for he had tried to avoid it, focusing on his long term goal instead. It was never his intention to let her throw him off guard. That encounter with her brought back too many question, too many memories. Maybe he really wasn't acting like his usual self, he thought to himself.

As they were entering the forest, Itachi could hear a light cheerful footstep following them from behind.

—-

 **Author's note:**

Illustration by , comission type BW art head shot, can be seen on my tumbler devilelfoflagendia

Oh right, i promised about her character design sheet… that will also be available there

I really enjoyed writing this part! Has anyone liked her yet? She got dark, yet innocent spirit, and her mind is still childish it is often nonsensical and insane :3 I like torturing Kisame with her hahahahaha…

Yep, haven't proofread this yet, i'm so tired +_+


	10. Chapter 8'5: Goodbye

Followed by Mitsuki, Itachi and Kisame travelled down the mountain path to leave the area. By the time they reached the village, the sun already started to rise. At the sight of the village, Mitsuki stopped on her track.

"Hey.. Let me borrow one of those coat and those hat."

Hearing her plea, Kisame stopped on his track, followed by Itachi.

"What is it this time? The size won't fit you anyway, kid," said Kisame.

Mitsuki looked down as she walked past Kisame towards Itachi. As she stopped in front of him, softly, she tugged on Itachi's coat as she kept her face down.

"Then, lend me yours. It's smaller than his. It's just for a while anyway. I promise i'll be good on our way.. Please?"

Looking at her surprisingly docile attitude as she pleaded, Itachi felt like he knew what was going in her mind. Without saying a word, he took off his cloaked hat and put it on her head.

"That'll be enough," he said, knowing that giving her his coat will just obstruct her movement instead. As he continued to walk down the path, both Kisame and Mitsuki followed him without a word.

It was early morning, but people were already awake as they were preparing for their daily routine. As they passed through a small house, a little girl appeared from behind its door. It was the little girl that was chasing her down the slope the day before. Cheerfully, she pranced towards Mitsuki and called out to her.

"Mitsuki onee-chan! What are you doing here so early? What's with that look?"

As she was questioned, Mitsuki stopped on her track. As he saw her halting, Itachi stopped and glanced at the girls. As the little girl looked curiously down her cloaked hat, Itachi thought he saw Mitsuki trembling.

Mitsuki bit her lips. As the smaller girl get closer, she hold onto her borrowed cloaked hat and tilt it down to cover her face. In a failed attempt to change her voice, she spoke in a funny demeanor.

"Hohoho, I think you got me wrong, kid! I'm a traveller, I don't know you!"

The girl continued to stare at her with her wide eyes, then cracked a laugh.

"What was that! You're so funny, onee-chan! Come and play with me again later, will you?"

To the girl's response, Mitsuki once again bit her lips without letting go of her hat's edge as she walked away from the smaller girl.

"Cya later, onee-chan!" the little girl's shout could be heard from behind.

As she hastened her steps, Itachi and Kisame followed behind her out of the village.

—

Outside of the village, Kisame asked with a smirk on his face, "You sure you don't wanna stay or wait to say goodbye, kid? You look like you're about to cry." His tone was full of sarcasm.

"Shut up, shark-chan. I don'-.. I can't," she replied, as she added, "This whole facade is over, and they will hate me once they knew anyway. I see no point in saying goodbye. Besides, weren't you saying that you're gonna take me to see your leader or something like that?"

"Hmph, don't go regretting on it later," said Kisame in a mocking tone, not dropping his smirk.

"I won't. Don't talk as if you actually care, it sickens me," said the girl, harshly. However Itachi could hear a slight tremble in her voice.

Was he really doing the right thing? Or was it a mistake of his? Would it be best for her if he just killed her there last night? Will bringing her actually do the worst for both of them? And if he were to kill her, could he?

As he remembered her face being reflected on the girl's eye the night before, together with the chaos caused by the resurfaced memories and thoughts of himself and his brother, Itachi doubted that he could.

Going down the path, away from the village, Itachi tried not to question himself too much. He still needed time to sort away the mess that she created in his thoughts.

—

 **Author's note:**

Haven't proofreaded this, but i have done it for the 2 parts before.

Why 8.5? Since actually this part is not really significant on the story and i can just skipp right away to the leader meeting part. But it helps clarify the girl's personality and Itachi's stirred up feeling after getting a face to face with this enigmatic girl. I hope i depict his personality correctly and is not going ooc. Well, with Kisame also.

And yes, Kisame actually understood her feeling and so does Itachi. That's why he didn't make any remark when Itachi lent her his hat. He asked Itachi if he was feeling nostalgic the first time they went back to Konoha, so i think he understand about the feeling of attachment towards someone's source.


	11. Chapter 9: CuriosityConfusion

The journey to the hideout was a long one. Mitsuki, who had never traveled so far away off the village before, was intrigued by a lot of stuff that she found on their way. As usual, Itachi didn't speak much on their travel. In fact, Kisame found that he was even quieter than usual. However, he didn't ask a thing about it for he understood that in such time, Itachi wanted to be left alone. He had already accepted for a long time that Itachi had never been so open about himself or what he was thinking anyway. Besides, he already got his hand full with the little girl who seemed to have considered bothering him as her new hobby.

"Can you stop it?" said Kisame, as a piece of the chestnut seed shell that she was peeling flied and hit the back of Kisame's head. Considering that she had pranked on him a lot during their travel together so far, he was not sure if it wasn't intentional.

"Hehe, sorry, this time it's an accident, really.." said the girl with no sign of regret in her voice whatsoever.

"… I don't believe you," said kisame, as his mouth formed a downward curve.

"Don't be like that," she said cheerfully, "I've decided to try to get along with you guys, and that's why i promise that i won't ever lie to you guys as a prove! Besides, it's suffocating to have to lie all the time. Granpa used to be the only one who i don't need to lie to, and ever since he's gone, I…"

"Sigh, whatever kid. Just keep it down a little bit or i might decide to just chop you down. Or at least go bother Itachi-san instead, why is it only me you were after?" said Kisame annoyedly, cutting her words.

Mitsuki smirked as she answered sarcastically, "Since he lent me that hat and you didn't, and i promised him i'd be a good when he did, didn't I?"

Kisame sighed as he cursed her internally. As far as his partnership with Itachi had been going, their travel has always been the pleasant trusted each other and had each other's back. Itachi had never talked much, yet he always answered him when Kisame got bored and decided to strike up a conversation. Sometimes he would joke around and Itachi would response in calm manner, which is actually not bad at all. Kisame could say that he enjoyed his partnership with Itachi, and together, they could be at ease. "But not now, not anymore.," Kisame mentally grumbled.

"Let's rest here," Itachi said suddenly. They had walked for quite a long time already, and the sun has already started to set. They were in the middle of a forest path. As the two man decided on a place to settle while staying hidden, Mitsuki started to gather the dry wood stalk around them swiftly. By the time Kisame had finished preparing the campfire base, Mitsuki had already finished gathering the needed wood.

"Where is he? Itachi-sa..-kun, i mean?" asked Mitsuki as she put down the wood she gathered to the prepared base.

"Well, i suppose he went to hunt for some food, why?" Kisame asked back.

"Hmmm, i see.." she answered. As she closed her eyes for a while, Mitsuki searched for the man's specific energy that she has been memorizing for a while now. As she pinpointed the location, she opened her eyes and started running towards it.

"Thank you, shark-chan!" she shouted as she ran.

Kisame let out a "meh" as a response, as he continued to prepare the campfire.

"…-kun huh?" Kisame mumbled to himself, smirking as he imagined how Itachi would react to the sudden closeness she showed by how she decided to call him.

—

A bird fell from the sky. On her body was a shuriken, stabbing her on her wings, disabling her from continuing her flight. As the bird fell, it slowed down and stopped in the middle of the air, right in front of Itachi's body. Noticing the presence that might be the source of the phenomenon, Itachi turned back his body. Behind him, stood the very girl that had been the source of his confusion.

"Eh, don't worry. I'm just saving you the problem of cleaning the bird from the dirt later."

As Itachi put his hand below the bird's now floating body, the bird fell down to his hand directly, as if whatever was holding her was gone. As he silently wondered about how she did it without any noticeable movement, the girl answered his question.

"I just manipulated the air below the bird a bit. Isn't it interesting?"

Itachi stared at the girl, wondering about how she could read him. He was sure he kept his usual expression and didn't let out any sign.

"Why are you here?" he asked, hiding his actual question.

"Let me help you here," she answered, smiling, as she moved to his side.

It was a perfect opportunity for Itachi. It was hard to admit, but he was still curious about the existence beside him. Even though he was older, his extremely curious nature from when he was a child was still residing inside him. It was the same nature that made him studied countless book of different major, and made him question a lot of things in himself and the world around him. It was also his strongest trait besides his hate of losing, it was a part of what made him himself. Itachi knew about his own personality well, and that was also why he wondered if the choice he made that night was a mistake created by his own nature. If he could get rid of his curiosity towards her, perhaps he might be able to see things with more clarity. That was what he thought to himself. That was when he decided to put her skills into test

As he took a few more shuriken from her tool bag, Itachi took a deep breath and activated his sharingan. As he finished his preparation, Itachi kicked the stalk of the tree beside him, with just enough strange to shake it and startle the birds residing upon it. The birds flew with fear, just to be greeted by the shuriken that Itachi threw with extreme precision. "Now, to observe her movement," Itachi thought as he shifted his glance towards the girl. In his surprise, what he saw was pure excitement from the girl. Just like a kid, her eyes were sparkling as she observed what has happened. The sight reminded Itachi of his kid brother, Sasuke, when they were training together. He was almost tempted to smile at her.

With sudden realization, Mitsuki snapped out of her excitement. Her face changed rapidly from excitement to surprise, followed with a determined look. Mitsuki slowly breathed in and closed her eyes. Her expression was both peaceful, and focused. As she spread her arms gently, Itachi could feel the same shift in energy as he felt that night. However it was weaker, and gentler. As he tried to analize what was happening around him, he noticed that there was no sound of the birds hitting the ground yet.

The girl suddenly opened her eye with an annoyed look.

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked.

"Nothing. I've stopped all of them from falling. But that's it. It's just that, this is what i had always been doing up until now. Holding fruits from falling to the ground, pinpointing the location of fallen animal. It was actually nothing much of a help," Mitsuki answered with an annoyed tone.

"..I'll pick them up, you wait here," Itachi responded as he turned his sharingan back off and turned his body towards the direction where the birds were flying. He was disappointed, for he had expected more from her. "I think this finally is the end of it," he thought to himself with a little bit of disappointment towards himself from expecting too much. In his surprise, the girl shouted to stop him.

"NO. Don't you dare do anything!"

As he heard her shout, Itachi turned his head as he glanced towards her.

"I've told you that i'll help you before, but this way i won't be of any help! This will prove Sharky-chan's word to be true, that i will be an useless kid which is more of a burden, and i'd hate it! I wanted to be of help too, but this way…" said the girl as she avoided Itachi's glance. "If only, if only i could control the power of that time.." she mumbled.

As the girl exhales, she lifted her head and glanced fiercely on the direction of where Itachi was about to head off, and lifted her hands toward it. As she swiftly waves her hands backward, suddenly, a strong wind blew towards them from the direction they were facing. As the girl's increasing focus was reflected in her eyes, Itachi could feel the wind becoming stronger and stronger. While protecting his eyes from the dust and leaves which came along with the wind, he turned his head towards the direction of the wind. Suddenly, he could caught several objects came flying past him in high speed, right towards the girl's focusing figure, and slamming right onto her.

"OOOPH," the girl let out a sound, as the objects hit her right on her stomach, and followed by another hit on her face, throwing her off balance. As she fell to the ground, the wind started to halt.

"Plop," one of the object fell into the ground. "Plop plop," more falling sound could be heard as more objects fell into the ground. As one of them fell near him, Itachi could finally see the objects clearly with his regular eye. It was the bird which he had gotten with his shuriken. Turning his head, Itachi looked onto Mitsuki, whom as the last bird fell down right onto her head, let out an ouch.

Itachi was at loss, for he didn't know how to comprehend and react to everything that happened. Unconsciously, he let out a snicker from behind his high cloak.

As she heard the slight voice, Mitsuki spoke in excitement. "Ah! You laughed!" said the girl. As Itachi straightened his expression to avoid getting caught more, he could see both surprise and excitement in her face.

"That's good!" she smiled as she said that, surprising him even more.

".. why would you consider it good when someone is laughing at you?"

"Because, ever since i've first saw you, i've always got this idea that you are suffering. Even more since I questioned you last night, forgive me," said Mitsuki softly with a bitter smile on her face.

"How could you be sure about that?" ask Itachi subtly, trying to hide his feeling of vulnerability. He was surprised that he was easily found out, just like last night and a while before then.

Smiling, Mitsuki took the dead birds off her head and her body. As she prompted her body to stand back, she answered, "Because, as i've told you, these ten years, i've been learning about how to read people. With the help of my ability, i can do it even better."

As if knowing about Itachi's curiosity on what she had meant, Mitsuki continued her explanation while picking up the birds which has fallen to the ground, "Living thing's energy is dynamic. When they feel, the energy changed itself. Anger, sadness, happiness, bad thoughts, good thoughts, everything is reflected upon their energy. It's almost easy for me to tell if someone has good intention or bad intention. Well, i still can't read their mind though, but combined with a little bit of analysis on their behavior, in which i'm sure you're pretty familiar with, i can basically guess about what they are thinking, and their true nature. Well, it has been hammered unto me for years anyway." Mitsuki smiled as she finished her sentence and glanced towards Itachi.

"Last night, when we met, i've decided that you two aren't a bad guy. That's why i was trying to get you guys to leave instead. And that's not all, I could feel the heavy weight of your emotions, even in comparison of Sharky-chan. It was as if, you've been carrying a heavy burden, and all it has left you is suffering. But even so, i could still feel kindness inside of you, and it had left me wondering."

As she continued to speak, Itachi could feel a strange stir in his emotion again. He was surprised, and worried about the fact that anyone had actually been able to see through his facade. But somehow, a part of him was happy. It was a strange feeling that he couldn't understand. While he was trying to straighten his mind, the girl continued to talk.

"When.. i asked you those question.. I could see the confusion in your eyes. It felt as if you were asking yourself the same question. Why? Could it be that you understood about how i feel? And, is it also your source of suffering? As i observed you, I also felt like that's not all, and it has made me curious.."

As she stopped talking, the girl jumped to his front, carrying the birds. Looking straight into Itachi's eyes, she smiled, "That's why, i want to know more about you! What are you? What do you feel? Why are you, you? I feel like I'll be able to find out more about myself by finding out more about you." Finishing her sentences, Mitsuki smiled and handed over the birds that she was holding to Itachi. As their gaze meet, Mitsuki's smile went wider.

"Let's get along well, Itachi-kun!" she said, cheerfully.

Hearing her words, Itachi was at loss. Confusion and uneasiness fluttered inside him. A lot of thoughts were appearing inside his head. About how she was both dangerous and harmless, especially for his existence and his mission, and about how her decision to follow him for her own sake might turn out breaking her instead, even more if she actually joined Akatsuki. As he was trying to find another way out, he responded.

"Kisame has told you before, but i will remind you. You should realise that we are not the ordinary shinobi you know, we are criminals. And our organization is basically a group of dangerous criminal like us. Trying to find yourself by following us and interacting with us will not be a good choice to make."

As Mitsuki realized about where the conversation was going, she spoke to cut Itachi's word. "I think you've got it wrong. It has nothing to do with what you guys think. You have no saying in this. It's my decision, my responsibility. I'll see it through, whatever it might result in. Whatever you say and you do, you cannot change my mind."

As she talked, Mitsuki shifted her glance towards Itachi's figure and stared right into his eyes, surprising him with how sharp her gaze was. "Besides, what is good from sheltering me from the dark of this world? I've always realized that the world is not as bright as it seems to be. There is always two different reality lying side by side, like how that peaceful and cheerful life down the village in comparison to the truth that I've hidden about granpa and the workers. I see no benefit from hiding or avoiding the dark truth. For, gaining fake happiness by hiding in lies and facade about what I am and what I've done and being content with it is not what i seek."

"I'm not a kid that you need to protect. I'll take a decision for myself, and that's that. Whatever happens to me should always be my own responsibility, and never someone else's, that's what I've learned during all this time in the village. And I've decided to tag along with you guys and be of help while i'm at it," said Mitsuki with determination which surprised Itachi even more.

Itachi had to admit that she was right. Even as Sasuke's older brother, he had always been unconsciously trying to shield him and his innocence from the dark truth of the world. He even tried to keep his distance from his beloved brother so he wouldn't get dragged inside the quabble between him and their clan, hurting him in the process. Seeing the girl spoke with maturity despite of her small figure, he wondered if the current Sasuke had started to mature as well. Slightly smiling, Itachi finally responded.

"Well, you've failed in your first self determined task, though.." he said lightly as he patted off some dirt from the dying birds body which ended up falling to the ground, despite of Mitsuki's earlier attempt to keep them from getting dirty to ease things. Stung with the words, Mitsuki's face turned red of embarassment.

".. and despite all you said about having to lie all this time, your expression looks pretty honest to me," said Itachi as the girl attempted to find a word to say in response to his word earlier in panic. Hiding his smile, Itachi went ahead of her, back to where Kisame was.

"Th…that's because i've told you i wanna be honest with you guys, that's why!" shouted the girl as she hastily followed the figure in front of her.

—-

"Oh, you two are back. What's taking you so long, Itachi-san? Did she finally decided to prank on you?" said Kisame as he saw the pair walking towards him from behind the line of tree.

"D..DON'T TELL HIM WHAT HAPPENED, HE'LL MAKE FUN OF ME!" Mitsuki whispered panicly with a flustered look on her face.

As he heard her words, Itachi replied to Kisame. "… Nothing," he said.

Looking at Mitsuki's flustered expression, Kisame was unconvinced. He grinned as he asked, "What is this here? Did your prank fail marvelously? Or did he not allow you to call him Itachi-kun?"

"SHUT IT YOU SHARKY-CHAN! THAT'S NOT IT!"

"Hoo, then why are you angry?"

"!"

As the two argued, Itachi closed his eyes. He wasn't content with the situation, however he couldn't find a way out either. If it was her own decision, how could he change it? "Hopefully, she changed her mind. There is nothing here for her but darkness," he thought to himself, when suddenly the image of her determined face as she was telling him not to protect her flashed inside his mind. "This is not good," Itachi thought as he hid his smile, noticing that he had become curious on how will the girl in front of him grow. As he dwelt in his inner silence, Sasuke's innocent face flashed in his mind, and he wondered.

"Sasuke, how are you and how have you been?"

It was as if an invisible knife stabbed into his heart, leaving him once again with pain and sadness. That's right, he couldn't let himself to be distracted, thought Itachi to himself. For there is one more thing that he needed to do, and for that, he will do anything to survive until the time had come.

—

Author's note:

GOSH THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG TO FINISH.. I tried to take a little of my time everyday to continue writting despite my busy days, but still working in exhaustion doesn't produce good result, so i end up dwelling in this chapter longer.. I hope it's satisfactory .


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